Venus Crossing with Liss: February 2014

Monday, February 24, 2014

Tropical Delight Microwave Protein Pancake

I am pretty much leaning on these microwave protein pancake variations for breakfasts almost every single day now. I love them, delicious and filling! Ummm and if you can microwave, you can make this LOL Besides, I am getting a huge hit of my protein req's early in the day right after my early AM lifting. (Check those macros out at the bottom!)

Image courtesy of http://www.bodyfortress.com/vanilla-creme-whey-isolate-protein-powder

I was on a roll with the Dark chocolate & berry microwave protein pancakes. Then I got some new vanilla whey isolate and frozen dole mixed fruit (contains strawberries, peaches, pineapple, and mango!) the other day and the wheels got turning for a new recipe! BTW- I am a BIG fan of this Body Fortress Vanilla Whey Isolate. At 130 cals and 30 grams of protein in each tasty serving, it's macros are hard to best. Did I mention, I got it for less than $16 at Walmart?! Yeah, I am a fan!

We started this book in a book study at church a few Wednesdays ago, and I cannot put it down. It is "Extravagant Grace" by Barbara R. Duguid. This passage out of Romans sums up the book pretty well, "18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me." Romans 7:18-20. Check it out.

After seeing a post on IG from @lovemaegan, I tried making some black bean brownies for the fam on Friday night family dinner night. They were a hit! Even my 9 yo niece and son ate them! So I will def be sharing that recipe with y'all soon. Just need to tweak it a midge first.

Oh yes, have you seen this gum yet? Tastes just like the real deal!

And I am loving these new Springblade shoes from Adidas. They are too cool. WANT.

Tropical Delight Protein Pancakes

Ingredients
*banana, half
*1 scoop vanilla whey powder (I used Body Fortress Vanilla Whey Isolate)
*1/4 cup egg whites *1 cup Frozen mixed tropical fruit (I used Dole)
*3/4 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt (I used Fage 0%)

What you do
Spray a microwave safe plate with nonstick spray. Mash a banana with a fork, along with 1 scoop of vanilla whey, and quarter cup of egg whites. Microwave on high for approximately 3 minutes, or until the center is set. Microwave the fruit in a microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes or until thawed. Top the pancake with the Greek yogurt and fruit mixture. Enjoy! (I like to top mine with a little cinnamon!)

Nutritional stats:

Cals- 373 cals
Carbs- 39g
Fat- 0g
Protein- 55g

Monday, February 17, 2014

Bacon Topped Pork Tenderloin and Potatoes

Hope your Valentine's Day was lovely. My sweet husband sent me beautiful flowers at work and made my day :)

And my momma sent these GIANT chocolate covered strawberries. We ate them all that night, well I ate about half LOL

I even wore my red pants to celebrate. Well... it was actually the day before. Friday is jean day and I was NOT about to give that up!

My mother in law actually inspired this dish. She used to make it for our after church luncheon in her Dutch oven. Slow cooked goodness that just hit your face when you walked through the door. My husband and kids are big fans, and it just so happens that it fits the nutritional needs for me too! Some steamed broccoli with house seasoning rounds it out perfectly! I adapted it to the crock pot because that is what worked for my schedule best during the work week.

Bacon Topped Pork Tenderloin and Potatoes

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
1-1.5 lbs pork tenderloin
1 lbs red potatoes, quartered
2 slices bacon
House Seasoning (equal parts salt, pepper, paprika, onion, & garlic powders)

What you do:
Coat the crockpot ceramic with non-stick spray. Place quartered potatoes in the bottom, lay the pork tenderloin on top. Lay the bacon over the tenderloin. Apply house seasoning liberally. Cook on low 8 hours.

Nutritional Stats

(per 3 oz serving of pork tenderloin and 1 medium potato)

Calories- 299 cals
Fat- 7g
Carbs- 29g
Protein- 28g

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Butterscotch Apple Pie Greek Yogurt

This has been my go to treat this winter, sorry I have held out on you all this long! But with 23 g of protein, in less than 200 cals- it fits the bill for my sweet tooth on most nights. I am guilty of having it for breakfast too sometimes! Cheesecake, butterscotch, and apple pie all in one- who would not like it?! Oh and did I mention it is easy, quick, and only 5 ingredients?

It has been a colder than usual winter this year in the Texas Panhandle. On Thursday it was 5*F; we got blanketed in snow Wednesday night. I adore our new neighborhood in the snow, and so I posted these shots on Instagram. IG @mlgraham09

It is the most charming little neighborhood. I just love it. I still pinch myself...

Anyway by Saturday it was 65*F, and today (Sunday) it is 25*F. We have a saying here- if you don't like the weather, just wait until tomorrow!

Butterscotch Apple Pie Greek Yogurt

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 apple
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp SF Jello cheesecake pudding mix
1 tbsp SF Jello butterscotch pudding mix
1 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt

What you do

Remove the core and chop the apple into bite size pieces. Place into microwave safe bowl, top with cinnamon. Microwave 3 minutes until tender.

In a bowl, mix cheesecake and butterscotch pudding mix with yogurt.

Top with apples. (And maybe a little whip if you are feeling especially festive, I usually am!)

Enjoy!

Nutritional stats

Per serving

Cals- 192 cals

Carbs- 29 g

Fat- 0 g

Protein- 23 g

Sunday, February 2, 2014

No Bake Blueberry Banana Greek Cheesecake

While in Houston this past month for the half marathon, I got to meet up with one of my fellow fitness food freak bloggers- Fit Foodie Le! I have been following this girl for about 2 years, through her first comp and now her second pregnancy via her blog FitFoodieLe.com This girl can COOK and her recipes have never disappointed :) Our meet-up did not go as planned! She had thought she registered to run the 5K on Saturday but somehow did not get registered and the race was sold out! (Relatable mommy moment- something I would totally do too) So she volunteered to work the half Sunday morning instead. The morning of the half, she was going one way and I was heading out to the start line. We were bundled up! I had on my "throw" sweatshirt to toss as I got warm out on the course- yup looking REAL cute! Haha! It was awesome to meet Leah anyway, even though it was just a sec!

Growing up my momma made this Blueberry Banana Cheesecake for various events. It was always a hit and everyone asked her to make it. I had a luncheon and it popped in my head for some reason. I figured I could attempt a healthy re-make. Why not?!

It was a success. I cut out almost all of the TONS of sugar from the original recipe, and halved the calorie count. I also managed to increase the protein by 800%. I could rejig the crust with nuts and that would improve its stats even more. Might try that sometime ;)

And the luncheon? Yeah they loved it. It was even sitting next to homemade pound cake that had leftovers!

No Bake Blueberry Banana Greek Cheesecake

Serves 12

Ingredients

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sweetener (I used Splenda)
1 stick unsalted butter
32oz container 0% plain Greek yogurt
2 boxes Sugar Free Cheesecake Jello pudding mix
1 can Blueberry Pie Filling
2 ripe Bananas, sliced
1 container Sugar Free Cool Whip Topping, thawed

Do this

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Spray a 9x13 container with nonstick cooking spray. Melt 1 stick of butter. Mix into graham cracker crumbs and sweetener. Press into the bottom of dish, evenly. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. (You can throw it into the freezer to speed it up)

In a mixing bowl, mix the 2 boxes of Cheesecake pudding mix with the container of Greek yogurt. Evenly spread over the crust.